I have signed a six month lease on a WAY TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE 1200+ sq ft two bedroom/two bath apartment located in Northeast Phoenix. The community is young and trendy and the architecture is what is known as “Desert Deco.” Three pools, two jacuzzis, an exercise room overlooking the pool, business center, $5 yoga, sushi and pizza and hair salon ON THE PREMISES, all adjacent to a massive shopping center and movie theatre and conveniently located next to the highway!

My rent will be half of what I pay in Arlington and if I ever fancy getting a roommate, let’s just say I haven’t paid those kind of prices since my days of living in group houses. Even my pet rent will be plummeting from $50 to $15! And yes, dogs are allowed.

My father and stepmother confessed they are filled with envy. They both love the desert and will eventually retire in the Valley of the Sun. My old roommate is here, too, and I’ve been meeting new people through him.

But I’m not gone forever. I’ll be flying back and forth between Arizona and Virginia to visit my boyfriend and old friends. It’s just too bad I didn’t do this years ago when I had an insane surplus in the bank because this move ain’t gonna be cheap!